Now, was not that delightful?  In the same way the doctrines of the sages are mere gibberish to women and children who cannot understand them.  Now, my sermons are not written for the learned:  I address myself to farmers and tradesmen, who, hard pressed by their daily business, have no time for study, with the wish to make known to them the teachings of the sages; and, carrying out the ideas of my teacher, I will make my meaning pretty plain, by bringing forward examples and quaint stories.  Thus, by blending together the doctrines of the Shinto, Buddhist, and other schools, we shall arrive at something near the true principle of things.  Now, positively, you must not laugh if I introduce a light story now and then.  Levity is not my object:  I only want to put things in a plain and easy manner.

Well, then, the quality which we call benevolence is, in fact, a perfection; and it is this perfection which Moshi spoke of as the heart of man.  With this perfect heart, men, by serving their parents, attain to filial piety; by serving their masters they attain to fidelity; and if they treat their wives, their brethren, and their friends in the same spirit, then the principles of the five relations of life will harmonize without difficulty.  As for putting perfection into practice, parents have the special duties of parents; children have the special duties of children; husbands have the special duties of husbands; wives have the special duties of wives.  It is when all these special duties are performed without a fault that true benevolence is reached; and that again is the true heart of man.

For example, take this fan:  any one who sees it knows it to be a fan; and, knowing it to be a fan, no one would think of using it to blow his nose in.  The special use of a fan is for visits of ceremony; or else it is opened in order to raise a cooling breeze:  it serves no other purpose.  In the same way, this reading-desk will not do as a substitute for a shelf; again, it will not do instead of a pillow:  so you see that a reading-desk also has its special functions, for which you must use it.  So, if you look at your parents in the light of your parents, and treat them with filial piety, that is the special duty of children; that is true benevolence; that is the heart of man.  Now although you may think that, when I speak in this way, I am speaking of others, and not of yourselves, believe me that the heart of every one of you is by nature pure benevolence.  I am just taking down your hearts as a shopman does goods from his shelves, and pointing out the good and bad qualities of each; but if you will not lay what I say to your own accounts, but persist in thinking that it is all anybody’s business but yours, all my labour will be lost.